Karen Henderson, Centretown News
A section of the Rideau Canal near the National Arts Centre remains closed. The opening of the world’s longest skating rink, a key feature of the Winterlude festival, was delayed due to mild temperatures.Ottawa’s internationally renowned Winterlude celebration kicks off this weekend but one of the carnival’s main sites — the Rideau Canal Skateway — is only partially ready.
The National Capital Commission opened a section of the skateway between Somerset Street and the Bank Street Bridge last Saturday morning. But mild temperatures this winter have prevented the Crown corporation from opening the entire 7.8-kilometre skateway, which stretches from downtown to Dow’s Lake.
Yet spokespeople for the department of Canadian Heritage, which organizes Winterlude, and the city’s tourism office say they’re not overly concerned and contingency plans are in the works.
“I don’t want to say I’m not worried… it’s always in the back of my mind,” says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications for Ottawa Tourism. “But when it comes to the weather, it’s going to be what it’s going to be.”
Winterlude celebrates Canada’s northern climate and culture. The Rideau Canal Skateway is one of Winterlude’s three main sites — the other two are Confederation Park and Jacques-Cartier Park.
The weather’s unpredictability poses problems for certain Winterlude activities — such as a skate, ski, and run triathlon — that depend on the skateway.
The canal’s opening dates have fluctuated from year to year. There have been seasons it wasn’t open for the first weekend of Winterlude — most recently in 2008, when the canal opened Jan. 25. But there has never been a year when the skateway remained closed throughout the celebration.
Katherine Cyr, a communications advisor for Canadian Heritage, says organizers develop contingency plans for each Winterlude site. She says to avoid cancellation, certain skateway activities can be relocated or moved to a different weekend.
When asked about this year’s contingency plan for the canal, Cyr says she doesn’t have “the specific details” and they adapt as the weather forecasts change. She says preparations for activities at the other two sites are on track.
Cyr says organizers look into using artificial snow if need be and also take care to schedule both outdoor and indoor activities, so not all Winterlude events are weather-dependent.
NCC maintenance crews have been working on the canal for over two weeks, which involves clearing snow and flooding the surface with water overnight to help the ice thicken.
“The ideal formula is very little snow, very cold nights and consecutive cold weather of minus 15 to minus 20 degrees,” says NCC spokesperson Jasmine Leduc.
Leduc says the NCC will only open parts of the canal where the ice is 30 centimetres thick.
“The NCC’s priority is public safety so we really do need the 30 centimetres,” she says. “We’re going to do our best to open the skateway as soon as possible.”
Until then, Leduc says the public shouldn’t venture onto sections of the canal that remain closed.
Residents can visit the websites or social media accounts for Ottawa Tourism, Canadian Heritage and the NCC to find updates on the skateway’s conditions and any scheduling changes affecting Winterlude activities.
Van Kregten says the canal’s delayed opening this season is “ironic” given it was open for 59 consecutive days last winter – the longest stretch in the skateway’s history. But she says she feels confident Winterlude will be a “great party,” regardless of the situation on this weekend.
“Whether it’s too cold, too hot, too rainy, too snowy, too whatever, there’s so many activities,” Van Kregten said. “It really is great to see the entire city and the entire region come together and celebrate winter, whatever it throws at us.”